To Protect You
by Jewel1001
Summary: Jesse learns about his deck's true power, and also about the people who want it. To protect his friends, Jesse leaves Duel Academy, leaving Jaden heartbroken. The worst part? Jaden's pregnant with Jesse's child. Rated M to be safe. Warning: MPreg
1. Chapter 1

Hazeru - Okay, so here's the first fic I'm publishing.

Hera - Bit brave of you to put an MPreg fic up first?

Hazeru - Oh well, it'll have to do. So yeah, it's Jesse/Johan and Jaden/Judai, and it's MPreg. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Prologue

The Organisation

The bluenette walked along the halls of Duel Academy, his heart pounding frantically. What was going to be said today? All he knew was that the Organisation had called him in and said to him that his attendance was vital. The bluenette was known for skipping out on meetings to spend time with his beloved brunette boyfriend, and this time, the Organisation weren't about to lose one of their top members.

Jesse stopped at one of the classrooms and knocked on the locked door - a secret knock that allowed the people inside to know he was a member. The door was opened and Jesse walked into the standard Duel Academy classroom. Sitting in a small group in the middle section of the room were Aster Phoenix, Chazz Princeton and Alexis Rhodes. At the front of the room was Zane Truesdale.

With an internal sigh, Jesse walked up to the front of the room and took his place beside Zane, just like he always did.

"All right. Now that everyone's here, we can call the meeting to order" Zane said, and Chazz and Alexis broke away from whatever argument they were having to listen to their leader. "Last night I got a transmission from the boss himself, and he said that he had something very important to tell us. He should be connecting with us online any minute now."

Conversation started up between the three lesser members again, and Jesse sighed out loud. He was missing precious time with his brunette for this! Not to mention that he had to lie to his brunette when he was going to these meetings, because the Organisation had to stay a secret. He hated lying to his love, but even he had to admit that it was all for the best. The Organisation wasn't the safest thing in the world, and its members were all too aware of the fact.

Zane then called for everyone to be quiet again, and pressed a button on a small PDA he carried. On a large screen behind him popped up an image of none other than the King Of Games, Yugi Mutou himself!

"Is this meeting private, Truesdale?" he asked simply, and on receiving the affirmative, he continued. "I've got disturbing news that concerns the SODMP."

The name of the secretive organisation that Jesse Andersen was a member of was indeed the SODMP - the Society Of Duel Monsters Protection. They were a group of young people in a set school - in this case, Duel Academy - set up by Yugi Mutou to protect duel monsters everywhere, from card haters (those that existed) and other rebellious monsters and rivalling groups especially.

"I've made a discovery that was unknown to Pegasus himself when this deck was created and given to its chosen duellist" he went on. "Andersen, your Crystal Beast deck holds greater power than you know."

Straight to the point.

Jesse straightened up slightly at the mention of his deck - they meant a lot to him and they always would. He didn't get a chance to ask what concerned them before Yugi continued with his information.

"The Lords have discovered this power and I heard of it from one of their spies. How they discovered the power themselves I don't know, but I aim to find out."

"What power?" Chazz called out, irritated.

"Well, the Crystal Beast deck has the power to unite duel monster spirits as one family" Yugi said simply. After a moment of silence he went on. "If their power was allowed to grow stronger there would no longer be rebellious monsters. They would all be united as one and those that weren't would be destroyed. It is the power of the Rainbow Dragon and the other Crystal Beasts."

"So what's that to the SODMP?" Aster asked.

"Well, you see, the Lords have decided that they don't want that. They work purely against _and with _those rebelling monsters. So if the monsters are all united as one family with no conflict, the Lords would be out of a job."

The Lords. The name for the gang of teenagers elsewhere which dealt purely with duel monsters who attacked other duel monsters. Even in the real world it was possible and it happened. Some of the monsters they worked with, some they fought against. Either way, they always chose the wrong side. The Lords were the enemy of the SODMP.

"Anyway, the Lords have decided to capture and destroy the Crystal Beast cards."

"Over my dead body."

Everybody looked at Jesse, who glared at the screen.

"I will never, never let them hurt my family like that" he growled, and he meant every word.

"That's the problem, Andersen. The Lords have files on you, just like the files on everyone in the SODMP. They know of your attachment to your cards. And so they will most likely try to make you choose between your cards, and something else that is equally dear to you."

Everyone in the room froze at Yugi's last sentence. They all knew what was precious to Jesse, more like _who _was precious to him. The one he cared for more than anything, the only person in the world that the Crystal Beasts took second place to.

"Andersen, I'm sorry to tell you this, but it's my opinion that you abandon everything that is dear to you except your cards, and get away from the island."

With those words, Yugi cut the transmission on his end and the screen went black.


	2. Chapter 1  Plans

Hazeru - Here's the first actual chapter.

Hera - In this one, we see Jesse's reaction.

Hazeru - Here goes!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 1

Plans

The four members of the Society Of Duel Monsters Protection stared at their fifth members. Jesse Andersen was frozen in place, since Yugi's transmission had been cut several minutes ago. He had yet to react, and nobody was going to move or speak until he did. But Jesse was lost in his own thoughts.

How could he just suddenly abandon everything he knew and loved? How could he leave _him_? His boyfriend, his one love, his everything … Jaden Yuki. How could he be expected to just leave him? Especially with Jaden in his condition.

But Jesse knew why Yugi had suggested that. The Lords, the rival gang of the SODMP, had ways of making people 'disappear' when they became an inconvenience. And they were sneaky enough to realise that if they wanted Jesse on edge and perhaps too angry to take proper care of his deck, they'd be best to go after the one thing that meant more to him than anything in the world. If the Lords really were so interested in him and his deck - and if they wanted the deck, they'd want him to tell them how to control the monsters - then people that Jesse was close to would be in danger. Especially people like Jaden.

Soon, the silence was too much.

"I'm sorry, Jesse …" Alexis whispered, her heart in her voice. "Will you leave?"

"Does he have a choice?" Chazz muttered.

"He can't leave Jaden! Not now!" Alexis hissed.

Aster started to agree with Alexis, while Zane sided more with Chazz, and the four of them got into an argument while Jesse stared straight ahead at the black, empty screen, unable to make sense of the situation.

The Obelisk dorms sure had more space in them than the Slifer dorms did. A small kitchen and living area, a bathroom, a bedroom and a spare room. Most students had that spare room set up as a study. The two lovers had other plans for that spare room, though, and nobody in dorms had it set up the way they did.

Hasselberry and Syrus sat on the couch in front of the large television screen, sipping water as they shouted at a duel on the screen. Watching them from to the kitchen area, a certain brunette silently laughed. He could barely follow the duel because he kept getting lost in his own thoughts, so he'd relocated to the kitchen table and found something to eat. His appetite was certainly a bit strange now, but it wasn't any less present - in fact, these last months, he'd been eating more and more. Oh well, at least there was now an excuse for that greediness!

This was Jaden's room. Or rather, it was Jesse's room that Jaden had moved into. Not long after they'd returned from the alternate dimension, he had confessed his feelings for the bluenette, who had in turn confessed his mutual feelings for him. That was when they'd started dating and moved in together. That was almost a year ago. Jaden and Jesse, along with everyone except for the younger Hasselberry and Blair, had graduated. However, some people - truth be told, most people - had decided to stay on the island for another three years. It was simple and relaxing.

Jaden went to put his empty plate in the sink. He stood there and grabbed the soft sponge and rubbed the food stains of the plate before putting it on the drying rack. It could be put away later, but Jesse didn't like to live in a mess like Jaden had had back at his room in the Slifer dorm.

He leaned against the counter, stretching his aching back. There was more pain in his lower back as the months wore on, and now at eight, he was considerably far along and had the back pain to prove it. From his abdomen came a sudden, swift movement - one that managed to stab him right in the ribs. He mockingly glared at his swollen stomach and placed a hand on the bulge slowly growing there.

Jaden was eight months along in his pregnancy. He was carrying his lover's baby and couldn't have been happier about it, despite the pains that came with it. He loved Jesse more than he loved his own life, and their unborn child was a symbol of their love - that's how Jaden saw it, anyway. He had had bad morning sickness in the earlier months, but gradually that had toned down. He had back pains now, instead, and his feet got sore easily, but it was all worth it.

His friends were still watching the TV; they'd never notice he'd slipped away. So the brunette went to the spare room and opened to door to see the set-up that was unique in the Obelisk dorm. There was a simple white crib in the corner, with rainbow sheets tucked inside it. One special blanket was carefully embroidered with a large picture of the Rainbow Dragon, and a tiny picture of each Crystal Beast around that image in a circle. Complete with changing table, high chair and wardrobe, the room was set up for a new baby. Jaden sat down on a chair which was placed by the window, taking the weight off his feet for a while. He subconsciously wrapped his arms around his swollen stomach and couldn't stop the smile coming to his face. This rush, this happiness, was even more than what he got from duelling - maybe even more than what he got from loving Jesse.

"I don't know if I can go through with this" Jesse muttered at last, turning to face the other four members of the team. "Guys, I can't leave Jaden now. He's eight months along, and Miss Fontaine said it was likely for him to be early. I can't let him go through it alone."

"Jesse, it's all you can do" Zane said with an expressionless face. "If you stay you'll be bringing the Lords down on him. He doesn't know what we do. He doesn't know the SODMP exist. If the Lords get him, he'll be in for more pain than you want to imagine. At least if you leave him, he'll be hurt but safe."

"And if they go after him anyway?"

"They won't. They don't go after innocents unless they're associated with someone from here at that minute in time. If they think you two have broken up, they'll leave him be and chase after you."

Seeing the truth in Zane's words, Jesse fell to his knees.

He would have to leave. He had no choice. There was no way he could protect Jaden if the Lords showed up, not even with the help of the other members of the team. His only way of being sure Jaden was safe was to leave him.

Ten minutes passed before plans were being made. Jesse agreed to leave on his own and take the Crystal Beast cards with him.

"Listen guys, don't let Jaden get hurt" the bluenette growled, glaring at the four people in the room with him. "And when he goes into labour, make sure he isn't alone. He can't handle that kind of pain on his own."

"We'll stay with him, Jesse" Alexis promised.

Jesse nodded, thanked and said goodbye to everyone, and left the room. He didn't have time for better goodbyes to his team, and had no time for any goodbye to anyone else. Except for his brunette. He always had time for him, especially when it came to either happy or truly unhappy circumstances. Now was one of those miserable times.

He had to tell Jaden he was leaving.

Hazeru - Poor Jesse!

Hera - Poor Jaden, too. It's got to be tough for him!

Hazeru - Indeed.

Hera - Anyway, please review. Hazeru's too nervous to ask!

Hazeru - Hera! But she's right, and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 2  Leaving You

Hazeru - Here's Chapter 2!

Hera - By the way, it may have come up that there are two Chapter 1.

Hazeru - Sorry about that. To clear things up, the first one' s a prologue. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 2

Leaving You

"Welcome back, Jess" the brunette smiled, lacing one arm around his boyfriend's waist. "How'd the duel go? Did you win?"

Jesse couldn't look at his lover. How was he supposed to tell him he was leaving him? Especially now! The bluenette's eyes automatically glanced down at his boyfriend's swollen stomach, and he couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his lips. His baby.

How the hell could he be expected to leave them both?

"Jesse? You okay?"

The bluenette only smiled sadly. It was for their own good. Jaden didn't know anything about the SODMP, and he didn't have to - his ignorance on that matter was for his own safety, and Jesse had known from the beginning that he'd perhaps have to sacrifice himself for the good of the duel monsters. It was in the oath he'd taken when he'd first joined to SODMP, when he'd only just met Jaden, before they'd started dating. He might have to give his life, even - but he wasn't going to condemn Jaden to the same fate. Over his dead body was that happening!

"No, Jaden. I'm not okay."

What was the point in lying? The brunette knew him too well.

"What happened?"

"Jaden, I didn't have any duel. I got some information from … an old friend" Jesse half lied. He got information, but not from a friend, but instead from his boss. "He told me that my deck has more power in it than I thought."

"Seriously? That's great, Jesse!" Jaden grinned, oblivious.

Jesse stared at the innocent brunette and he felt a whole new wave of sadness come over him. He put his arms around Jaden and held onto him tightly, holding him as close as was possible with Jaden's stomach as swollen as it was. Jesse kept one arm around his love and the other moved down with his hand rested gently on Jaden's stomach. As if in answer to the touch, there was a sharp kick from inside the brunette, and both boys smiled at their child's movement.

"She's gonna be a fighter, just like you" Jaden said softly, his hand resting on top of Jesse's.

Jesse grinned helplessly. They didn't actually know the sex of the baby - they didn't want to. It was a surprise, the big surprise for when their baby was born and they got to finally meet him or her. But Jaden was seemingly convinced it was a girl.

"I've been getting jabbed in the ribs all day, you know" Jaden said, pouting cutely. "I'll be glad when she's born, then I'll finally fit back into my clothes."

Jesse couldn't help but laugh fondly, but his temporary smile quickly faded. If he put it off any longer, he wouldn't be able to leave his brunette love, and he had to.

He took a deep breath as he whispered the brunette's name, deliberately looking serious to make sure his boyfriend understood.

Jaden felt very strange all of a sudden. Jesse wasn't acting like himself and he wouldn't tell him what had happened. Then, Jesse let go of him and moved back a few steps, his arms folded and not looking at the brunette.

"Jaden, you know I love you, right?"

"As much as I love you, so I should hope" Jaden said nervously, his hand placed on his stomach subconsciously.

"And obviously you know I love our baby" the bluenette continued, wanting to make this parting as painless for his love as he could. "Jaden, promise me that you won't get stressed out. It's bad for the baby."

"Why would I get stressed out, Jess?"

"Jaden, I have to go away."

Jaden froze.

"What?"

"I have to leave. You know. Get away from Duel Academy."

"Oh." Jaden was having trouble understanding this. "How long for?"

"Jay … for a long time. Until it's sorted out" Jesse said, trying to give him an excuse which didn't involve the Lords or the SODMP. "I have stuff to do elsewhere, and it concerns my deck. What about it doesn't matter. What does matter is that I have to leave, and I don't know if I'll be back."

Damn it! Jesse could have hit himself. He should have said _when _he'd be back, not _if_. Now Jaden truly looked worried. The brunette was clearly shaking, and he'd instinctively wrapped his arms around his stomach.

"Jesse, what are you talking about?" he whispered, stunned. "You can't leave. I'm due any time soon, you know what Miss Fontaine said. If you have to take care of your cards, I understand, but … don't leave yet. Wait, please. Until the baby comes."

"Jaden, I want to. You don't know how much I want to stay here with you" the bluenette said, quickly moving towards Jaden and stroking his fingers against his lover's cheek. "But this isn't my choice to make. It's all been decided. I have to go. Listen, Jay, I can't tell you the details, but my cards are dangerous at the moment, and I won't put you in that danger."

"I don't care! I don't care if it's dangerous, Jess, I just want to be with you!"

Jaden could feel the tears beginning to build up in his eyes but he fought to keep them in. He didn't want to cry, it would make it harder to listen to what his lover was saying.

"You are pregnant" Jesse snapped.

"But … you can't leave me" Jaden whispered, a tear now escaping.

It was true. No matter how much he loved Jesse - which was more than anything else in all of existence - he knew he couldn't hurt his unborn child. The child was the one thing he thought he might love a tiny bit more than his boyfriend, and from what he was told, it was entirely natural and expected to love your child that bit more. He loved the baby too much to put it in any danger, and he knew that Jesse wouldn't want the baby in danger either. So why would he leave them?

Jesse didn't answer his brunette, but simply walked past him and into the bedroom. Jaden stood still as he heard the vague sounds of drawers opening and closing and things being thrown into bags. Jesse was really leaving!

As if sensing his or her mother's distress, there was a sharp movement in the brunette's stomach, a worried kick. Jaden's hand flew to meet the movement out of sheer habit, and he felt his knees go weak. He carefully lowered himself to kneel on the ground, his arms wrapped around the unborn baby, tears flowing like a river.

Then he heard the scuffling from the other room stop, and then footsteps, coming closer to him. Then he saw bags being dropped in front of the door out of the room, and his one love knelt down in front of him. Jaden forced himself to meet Jesse's astounding green eyes.

There was a deep sadness in the bluenette's eyes, but there was all that love still there as well - love for Jaden, love for the baby, love for their life that they weren't going to get to live. Jesse leaned forward and caught Jaden's lips in a quick kiss.

Out of instinct, Jaden returned the kiss, his tears falling onto their joined lips. His heart was pounding as the bluenette ran his tongue confidently across his lips, and once again out of instinct, Jaden parted his lips. He didn't even try to fight the bluenette now, he just let Jesse take control of the kiss. Jaden's hands were shaking. Would this be their last kiss? He melted into that kiss, savouring the taste of the bluenette, trying to enjoy what he might not feel again for a long time - what he might never feel again as long as he lived.

After a few blissful, heartbreaking seconds, Jesse broke the kiss and stood up. He walked to the door and picked up the bags, then looked back one last time at the crying brunette on the ground. Jaden looked up at his lover and shamelessly showed him his tears. He noticed that Jesse flinched vaguely at the sight.

"Don't leave me" Jaden whispered.

An uncomfortable silence hung between the two lovers for a few moments. It was the bluenette who broke the silence with only a few words.

"I have to."

And then he opened the door, exited the room, and shut the door behind him.

Hazeru - Jesse's gone! -cries-

Hera - You wrote it, stop crying!

Hazeru - Don't point out the obvious.

Hera - Anyway, R&R, please!


	4. Chapter 3  Breaking Heart

Hazeru - Chapter 3 and it's a bit sad :(

Hera - Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 3

Breaking Heart

Jaden felt numb. He felt empty, and hollow, and broken. The only sound in the otherwise silent room was his own sobbing.

This wasn't him. He didn't cry easily. When was the last time he cried? When Zane was 'sent to the stars' in the alternate dimension? When he destroyed Yubel? He'd cried then because he had felt so bad. Yubel had torn the Super Polymerisation card in half in a burst of anger, and with its destruction, she had taken whatever sanity she still had away. Jaden had had no choice but to end her misery, and he still felt bad that he hadn't been able to save his old friend. He hadn't kept his promise, but he knew that it wasn't his fault, though he felt bad.

But Yubel's death hadn't saddened him half as much as Jesse's leaving did.

Jaden loved Jesse. He sometimes worried about how much the bluenette meant to him. It was as if he was happy when he was with Jesse, and if he wasn't, he was sad. That was why he'd enjoyed the months of pregnancy. It was like having a part of Jesse inside of him, in an entirely new being.

The baby. The unborn child that was, in Jaden's mind, a symbol of the love he and Jesse shared. What was the child if Jesse was gone? How could he raise a baby alone? He'd so loved the idea of the whole 'family setting' with father, mother and child. He didn't even mind being a male mother. That didn't matter, so long as he and Jesse were together and had their little baby with them, a symbol of what their love could create.

Jaden wasn't even aware of how loud he was sobbing until he heard himself gasping. Even then he didn't care. All that he could make sense of was the kicks from inside him, and the devastating fact that Jesse - his one love, the one he'd given both his innocence and his love to, the one he'd made a baby with - had walked out the door and left him.

Jaden stayed on the floor until he cried himself to sleep, curled up miserably on the living room floor.

Silence was silence. It wasn't comfortable, it was the opposite, and Chazz Princeton thought it was downright irritating. He broke it.

"So has Jesse left yet?" he muttered.

The other three remaining members of the SODMP looked at Chazz, shrugged and went back to their more important thoughts.

They were all thinking about Jesse. And about Jaden. Had he told him yet? How badly had Jaden taken the news? It was true that Jaden was strong, he could take a lot, but he was in a hormonal condition and had been for eight months. The brunette couldn't take things half as well as he used to. Not to mention that Yubel's death - however he'd managed to get rid of her, he'd never told them anything more than that she was gone for good - seemed to have left some sort of permanent scar of Jaden's heart, and he definitely became more sensitive after that happened.

Still, they had all made a promise to Jesse that they would protect his lover between them. It was true that they had all known Jaden longer than Jesse had, but it was even more true that they didn't know him half as well as the bluenette did. They all knew it, and they all understood that Jesse needed them to protect the brunette now. Even Chazz cared enough about the members of the SODMP, cared enough about Jaden, to be able to look out for them him. Jaden would be well looked after under the watchful eyes of the members of the SODMP. They could take care of him, give him all the care and treatment that could possibly be offered, but none of it would be comparable to the care of his love. They could take care of a guy in labour, but they couldn't take care of a guy with a broken heart. And they were all certain that Jesse's leaving had broken Jaden's heart.

Hera - Yubel's death, Hazeru?

Hazeru - Yeah, I love Yubel to bits but this fic just wouldn't work with her in it, so I pretended she died at the end of Series 3. I hate myself for it, don't worry.

Hera - I'm sure lots of people do :)

Hazeru - R&R please :)


	5. Chapter 4  Missing Lover

Hera - Here's the next chapter. Hazeru can't be here right now, because she's asleep from writing fics all night. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 4

Missing Lover

Three days had passed. Travelling around on boat and plane and bus and every means of transport available was not fun, Jesse Andersen had soon enough discovered that. He was far away from Duel Academy, far away from his lover and child, and knew that the Lords were hot on his trail. Wherever he went, they followed. He was glad that he had left the Academy. All the time he was away from Jaden, the brunette was safe from the Lords. Jesse himself had been chased over three continents so far and was considering Antarctica for his next temporary base. He was still in touch with the SODMP and their leader. He had spoken once to Yugi Mutou, who had told him he did the right thing by leaving, and three times to Zane, who had told him that the Lords were nowhere in Duel Academy but that Jaden was distraught.

Jesse missed his lover terribly and wanted to go back to him. What was the point in loving someone and making a baby with them if you then abandoned them and never even saw your baby? What was the point in breaking your own heart?

Kick, kick, kick, punch, kick. A constant repeating rhythm that the baby seemed to follow, and that the brunette was finding remarkably annoying.

Stop kicking me, can't you tell I'm not in the mood? Jaden thought.

The brunette was curled up in his pyjamas - his adapted pyjamas that fit him despite his swollen stomach - on the couch in his living room. He didn't want to get dressed, he didn't want to eat or drink, he really didn't want to talk. But on his right sat Alexis, on his left was Aster, and Chazz was standing in the kitchen area. Zane had just left to meet with someone, though he didn't say who and Jaden didn't care.

"You've got to eat something, Jaden, you haven't eaten in twenty four hours."

"I don't want anything, Lex. I'm not hungry."

"Yes, you are, slacker" Chazz said grumpily.

"You're not eating for just you any more, Jay" Alexis said softly, putting one hand on the brunette's shoulder. "You have to stay strong, just look at your stomach."

It was true. The bulge of Jaden's stomach had dropped considerably, meaning that the child's head had engaged, and that the birth of the child was near.

Jaden couldn't care. What did it matter anyway? If Jesse wasn't there, what was the point in even having a baby? He hadn't been raised to be a single parent with they baby's father a perfectly able man who just wasn't there. Okay, so he hadn't been raised to give birth either, that was a quirk of the Supreme King, but that didn't enter into Jaden's heartbroken mind.

"Why don't you just back off?" Jesse growled.

"Why would we want to do that?" one man growled back.

"Just give us the deck, tell us how to command the cards" another said. "Give us that, and we will release you."

"I'll never give up my deck!" Jesse shouted, turning and running.

"After him!" one man shouted, and the Lords gave chase.

Jesse ran as fast as he could away from them. There were twelve of them - he'd counted and knew he was hopelessly outnumbered - and there was no way he could fight off twelve members of the Lords by himself. The Lords were a bigger group than the SODMP anyway.

The bluenette reached a small speeder, the idea of it taken from Star Wars - of which Yugi Mutou was a fan - and jumped on, putting the speed as high as it would go and taking off. He was in no mood to be chased by the Lords, and they didn't have equipment as advanced as the SODMP.

The brunette didn't know why he felt so sick. He just knew that there was a pain in his head, and that the damp cloth Aster was holding to his forehead felt wonderful. It seemed to soothe the ache there. He was curled up on the couch again, just like the day before, his head rested wearily on Alexis' shoulder. He appreciated that they were trying to comfort him, but he couldn't help but wish that they, all four of them, were someone else. Jaden wanted it to be Jesse's shoulder he was resting his head on, wanted it to be Jesse holding that soothing damp cloth to his forehead. He'd take any amount of pain and sadness, he just wanted his lover there. He was upset and hurt that Jesse would leave him at all, and even more hurt by the fact that he'd left him while he was pregnant with Jesse's child, but what irritated him most of all was the feeling that Zane, Aster, Chazz and Alexis knew why he had left and Jaden didn't. Jesse had said that he had to leave, but he hadn't given a reason. But he had said that he hadn't had a duel that day, he'd gone elsewhere. Jaden wanted to know why.

Was it that Jesse had found someone else to love? No, that couldn't be it. Jesse loved him, he knew he did. So then why was he so secretive sometimes?

"Hey, guys, do you think Jesse still loves me?" he whispered.

"Definitely" Alexis said confidently.

"But he left me" Jaden whispered, his eyes closed.

"He had to, Jaden. It was for your own safety" Chazz said, softly - or as soft as his voice could go when he was talking to the slacker. His words earned him glares from everyone in the room but Jaden.

"Why? What was so bad that he couldn't tell me?"

"I don't know, Jaden, but I do know that it wasn't your fault" Aster told the brunette, trying to reassure the brunette without giving away their secret. "Jesse will always love you, right? He wouldn't want you to be like this."

"Yeah, Jesse would have wanted to see you happy, Jaden, not all depressed" Alexis put in. "Come on, you're having a baby. I mean, you're a boy who can get pregnant, that's amazing! You should be happy."

"I am happy" Jaden muttered, looking anything but happy.

"Ruby, do you think I should go back to Duel Academy? Or at least be closer to the school?" Jesse asked his spirit miserably.

The small duel spirit said something that none but Jesse could understand.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll stay away" Jesse muttered. "I just feel so bad. I left Jaden at the worst possible time. I feel like I should at least move closer so I can be there with him for a little while."

Another few mewls from the small spirit.

"I know they're following me. I don't really care" the bluenette muttered. "If they weren't following me I would have gone back to Jaden by now. I wonder if he's doing any better than I am." He stroked his duel spirit's cheek softly and sighed. "I could be a father by now, Ruby. I wonder if Jaden's had our baby yet."

Ruby said a few words to him and he nodded.

"I'll see the baby as soon as I can. As soon as the rest of the SODMP tell me how to get the Lords off my back. I know I can't go near Jaden and the kid until they're gone. I wouldn't inflict them on Jaden, or my baby. I wonder if it's a boy or a girl" Jesse said softly, smiling. "I hope he sticks to the names we picked out together. I hope he had a really quick labour." He sighed miserably again. "Of course, he might not have had the kid yet. I hope not. I did want to be there with him. I wanted to hold his hand while he had our baby."

He sat up and held his head in his hands.

"I loved him" he whispered. "I still do."

Hazeru - I'm awake! And they miss each other. Will they ever meet again?

Hera - You write it, you already know that they ...

Hazeru - Shh, don't ruin it!

Hera - Okay, okay. R&R please.


	6. Chapter 5  It Begins

Hazeru - This is when we see Jaden's spirit really breaking.

Hera - Are you putting him through a lot in this fic?

Hazeru - Oh yes. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 5

It Begins

Chazz stood with folded arms, grimly watching the unconscious brunette. Alexis and Aster sat opposite him, on the other side of the infirmary bed, both of them looking at Jaden with sympathy. The brunette had collapsed the previous night and hadn't yet regained consciousness. They were waiting for Miss Fontaine, the school nurse, to tell them what was wrong with the brunette. Maybe he had just collapsed from lack of nutrition because he wasn't eating anything. Or maybe it was just tiredness. Was it possible for people to get literally ill because of lovesickness?

The door slid open and Miss Fontaine walked in, followed by Zane, both looking very serious. Chazz and Aster rose to their feet but Alexis stayed next to her unconscious friend, taking one of his pale hands in hers.

"Medically, he is completely healthy" Miss Fontaine said gravely, getting straight to the point. "There's no reason for his passing out or sickness before that. His reasons for this, I can't explain, but we're losing him."

There was a moment of silence before Aster broke it.

"He's dying?" he asked in disbelief.

"I don't know why" Miss Fontaine said sadly. "He seems to have lost the will to live. There is nothing medically wrong and therefore nothing I can do, but it is in the best interests of the baby he's carrying to induce labour now."

"Why would we want to do that?" Alexis asked, her face pale. "It's not due yet, and he wants Jesse to be there. There's still a chance that he could get back."

"There isn't the time for waiting, Alexis" Zane said gravely, glaring at his team members. "Jaden's condition is getting worse every minute."

"The only thing we can do now is induce labour and hope the baby can bring him out of whatever depression he's fallen victim to" Miss Fontaine stated plainly. "I can wake him up and then induce labour in half an hour."

"Don't you need permission to do that?" Aster growled.

"Normally, yes, but as he is unconscious and failing, his permission or lack of it means nothing. The father of the baby isn't here, and Jesse left us in charge of Jaden. I'm the leader of this SODMP and that means I can give the word."

Everyone stared at Zane, who had just given the thumbs up for labour to be induced. All eyes flew from him to the still unconscious brunette, knowing that he was going to wake up in five or ten minutes, and then he wouldn't have much time at all before going into worse pain than they could imagine.

Jesse was just finishing up with disabling the Lords mainframe computer in their hideout. They weren't far behind but hopefully Rainbow Dragon could hold them off, at least until the computer was disabled. Without it, they wouldn't be able to monitor where he went, and then he could set up some false leads for them to follow and return to Duel Academy. It had been almost a week since he'd seen his pregnant lover, and he didn't plan to let the Lords stop him now.

Two more codes to hack into and it would all be over. Jesse was halfway through cracking the first code when he felt his phone vibrate, and he pulled out the small device, put it on loudspeaker and continued hacking the code. He recognised the number to be Zane's, and immediately asked what was happening.

"Jesse, is there any way you can get the Lords off your tail?" Zane asked urgently.

"I'm working on it now, Zane. Their computer's one code off being disabled, then I'll get the Crystal Beasts to set up some leads for them to follow."

"How long will it take?"

"A day or two. Why? What's going on?"

"Jesse, you don't have that kind of time. Finish the codes and get back to Duel Academy" Zane said.

The code was cracked! One more to go!

"Zane, what's happening?" Jesse asked, starting to worry.

"Jesse, Jaden's losing the will to live. He's not been well and now he's giving up. We aren't sure how long he has left" Zane's voice informed him, causing the bluenette to freeze. "Miss Fontaine is inducing labour in ten minutes."

"What?" Jesse shouted.

From down the hallway there was a loud crash followed by footsteps and yells, the sign that the Lords had broken through the locked doors and were coming to capture him. Jesse shook his head to clear his mind and continued hacking the last code, his fingers furiously bashing the computer keys.

"I'm coming back, Zane, just hold on!"

"Will the Lords follow you?" Zane asked.

"I don't know, I don't care! I have to get back!"

"Jesse, I'm coming to meet you. Chazz and I will hold off the Lords while you get back here. Jaden needs you now."

"No, you have to stay with Jaden!"

"Aster and Alexis will stay with him, but we can't let the Lords get here!" Zane said angrily. "We'll meet you halfway, get a move on."

And the phone line went dead, just as the last code was cracked.

Jaden gasped as a pain took over his body, tightening his grip on Aster's hand. He was leaning back against the wall with Alexis soothing him. Chazz was holding a cloth to his forehead. All of this was lost on the brunette, who could concentrate on only two things: the agonising pain of childbirth and the heartbreaking pain of not having his lover there with him.

"Just take deep breaths, Jay" Aster whispered.

The contraction seemed to go away, taking most of the pain with it, and Jaden relaxed. He knew only pain right now, two types of pain, and he wanted them to go away. Why his friends wouldn't just let him go was lost on him. All he wanted was to escape from the pain.

The child he was carrying was a symbol of the love he and Jesse had, but now Jesse was gone and Jaden feared that he no longer loved him. Jaden would always be in love with the bluenette, but maybe Jesse hadn't returned those feelings as strongly. Maybe he found it weird that a boy could have a baby. But he had seemed so happy about it, almost as happy as Jaden himself had been. Jaden loved the baby. He loved the baby even now, when he or she was fighting to get out of him. But he didn't want to have such a broken family.

The brunette barely noticed Zane come into the room, or that he and Chazz ran out. He didn't see the growing worry in Aster's eyes, or the way Alexis wrapped her arm protectively around his slumped shoulders. All Jaden was aware of was him and the baby that would soon no longer be in him. The thing was, he didn't want the baby to be born now. Having the baby inside him meant that he couldn't die, he realised that now, but if the baby wasn't inside him, he didn't need to fight any more. If he didn't have to stay alive for his unborn baby, then what point was there in being alive at all? He knew his friends well - they'd take care of the baby, they'd love it completely. His parents wouldn't care, seeing as they'd never cared very much about their only son anyway. Jaden had been looking forward to having his new family, the three of them together. Now one was gone, and what fun was he going to be without Jesse? No, their baby deserved better than that, she deserved much better.

So the solution was simple. He'd give birth and then just fade away, and then baby would never have to see her failure of a mother.

Hazeru - Aww, he doesn't want to live any more! :'(

Hera - Calm down, I'm sure Jesse will find out how to help him.

Hazeru - Or will he?

Hera - R&R please.


	7. Chapter 6  A Reason To Hang On

Hazeru - Thought I'd better update it quickly, seeing as Jaden's having the baby now.

Hera - Try not to put him through too much.

Hazeru - ...Oops.

Hera - I'll control her next time. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 6

A Reason To Hang On

They were following him, that much was clear, but they were moving faster than the bluenette had expected. He could only go so fast, and there was a large group of the Lords. He was supposed to meet Zane and Chazz halfway, but at that minute, Jesse wasn't sure that he was going to get halfway. Then he cleared his mind a little bit and became even more determined to get back to Duel Academy. Jaden was there. And he was having his baby. There was no way he was letting his lover be alone now. Just an hour or so travelling, and he would be there.

A baby could be born in an hour, it could happen. He had to move quicker!

Miss Fontaine had got the brunette to change, with Aster's help, into a sort of hospital gown - clothing which Jaden would usually have argued against but was currently too weak to put up a fight. The brunette was currently lying on the infirmary bed, feeling very exposed and embarrassed as Miss Fontaine checked again and told him he still had a long way to go. Why the hell did he have to have a _female _teacher in here? It was downright embarrassing! He didn't really mind Alexis, his friend, who was sitting beside him and holding his hand, and he didn't object to Aster, who leant against the wall beside the bed, worriedly watching him. But he didn't want the nurse there, and the one he truly wanted there wasn't in the room, or on the island at all.

The baby in his stomach was fighting, moving around a lot and it was hurting like hell, even though he wasn't currently going through a contraction. His back was sore, his arms were sore from trying to prop himself up, his legs hurt, and down there hurt like hell. There was no worse pain. There was nothing but pain. But Jaden had promised himself that he would give birth to the child before he died, no matter how much it hurt. He was losing the will to live, he knew that. He had no desire to keep living with a heart as heavy as his had become. But there was no way he was taking the child out with him! He would make sure the baby's life was no longer attached to his own before he let himself slip away. Maybe Jesse would be told. Maybe the baby could be with her father, at least, or even her many uncles or aunts.

Another contraction, more vicious than the last one, hit him like a ton of bricks. The brunette cried out in pain, his hand instinctively flying to his swollen stomach. He tightened his grip on Alexis' fingers, causing the girl to wince, but she didn't complain. Aster closed his eyes and turned his head away from the boy on the bed.

"Oh God … it hurts so much …" he whispered, the pain flowing in steady waves.

"Shouldn't he be pushing or something?" Aster muttered.

"Not yet" Miss Fontaine said. "It's too early for that."

"Won't it speed it up?" Jaden moaned, the pain finally fading away a little.

"I'm afraid not" Miss Fontaine said softly, looking with sympathy at the boy caught in the process of childbirth. "You'd only tire yourself out. Save your energy for when you actually need it, towards the end."

With a slight moan of protest, the brunette nodded. Inwardly, he was cursing himself. He had been pregnant for over eight months, known about it from the third month onwards, and not once had he done any research on childbirth. He'd done searches about pregnancy, and found that his own pregnancy was remarkably similar to that of any female's. There didn't seem to be any difference, so why had he assumed the birth would be any different just because he was male? Dammit, he should have done some research. Jesse would have done it for him, he could have asked him anything!

"Does Jesse know that I'm having the baby now?" Jaden moaned weakly, looking up at them with sad eyes.

Alexis and Aster exchanged a worried glance, before Aster looked at the brunette.

"Zane called him, Jaden."

What was the point in lying to the brunette? Maybe knowing that Jesse might be coming back would give him some strength. It was worth a shot.

"Then why hasn't he come back?" Jaden whispered, feeling the tears start to fall down his cheeks. "He said he wanted to be with me the whole time. Why did he leave?"

"He had to, Jaden, it was for your own good" Alexis said firmly, but she then put her arms around the brunette and let him sob into her shoulder. "Jesse loves you. He didn't stop caring about you. He might come back soon. He'll at least come and see the baby, so you hang on for that much, right?"

"I don't think I can do this, Lexi" Jaden whispered, admitting the truth. "It hurts too much. I can't do it."

"Just hang in there" Aster said softly, putting one hand on the brunette's shoulder.

Jaden moaned weakly again, and nodded into his friend's shoulder. He would have to put up with the pain. At least for now.

Speedboats weren't fast enough, dammit! They could have gone by helicopter, but no, their leader had wanted to go by sea, saying it would take a copter too long to get to the island in the first place. He had a fair point, but at least then they wouldn't smell of salt from the ocean.

"How far until we get to the other side, Zane?"

"It'll only take five more minutes" the leader of the SODMP muttered, glaring at the black haired boy. "Just sit down and shut up."

Chazz glared back at Zane but did as he said.

At last. Jesse had borrowed - okay, stolen, but for a damn good cause - a speedboat and was only across the water from Duel Academy. The problem was that the water was the ocean and this stretch of the ocean took a bit of time to cross, even on a fast boat. But there was no other way for him to get across. And there was also no way for him to stop the remaining members of the Lords that were getting into their own boats and following him. The boat he had chosen was made for speed alone and he was making better progress than they were, but that wouldn't buy him all the time he needed. He hoped Zane and Chazz were coming. They could hold them off for a while, they were both decent duellists. Aster was probably a better duellist than Chazz, but he wouldn't have left Jaden if the brunette was in labour and Jesse wasn't there. Aster and Jaden were closer than a lot of people realised, and Jesse knew that he would owe Aster a lot for the way he was probably looking after Jaden right now, both him and Alexis. Although there was something about Alexis that Jesse was always unsure of, he couldn't figure out why he disliked her, and so had never said anything about it. Besides, she was good friends with Jaden, and he would never try to split Jaden up from his friends. If someone else had done that before they'd got together, maybe he and Jaden wouldn't have all that they did.

Thinking about his beloved brunette made the determination to reach him grow. Jesse ideally wanted to be with Jaden before the baby was actually born. He felt like he really should be there - as strange as it was for a boy to be able to get pregnant, he'd been the one to knock Jaden up - and he wanted to be there anyway. It was both his lover and his baby, after all.

Although Jesse didn't buy into the whole 'childbirth is a beautiful moment for the parents' thing. It was messy and painful and probably hurt to watch. But that wouldn't stop Jesse from being there.

Unfortunately, unless he could shake them off or Zane and Chazz got there quick, the Lords might well stop him from being there.

"Five centimetres, Jaden" Miss Fontaine told him. "We're getting there. You should probably move around some more now."

With a heavy groan, Jaden got up and Aster hung the brunette's arm over his shoulders. Aster walked in a slow circle around the room several times, Jaden leaning heavily on him and digging his fingers into his arm whenever the pains hit him. The pains were coming now more frequently, closer together. Jaden knew the time for the baby to be here was coming, but he also knew that he was getting more and more tired. He just wanted to give up and sleep, but sleep for a long time. Forever. Except that he couldn't do that. He wouldn't let himself. Not that the pain from everywhere in his body would actually allow him to sleep right now.

"Ah … ah … Aster, let me sit down …"

Aster helped Jaden to get back on the bed, and the brunette pretty much collapsed into the pillows, burying his face in the fabric and screaming loudly. Alexis flinched and ran her fingers through the soft two toned hair, trying to calm him down. She was suddenly not so sure of having kids herself any more.

Hazeru - Poor Jaden's in a world of pain and misery.

Hera - You put him there!

Hazeru - I know, don't make me feel worse than I already do! -cries-

Hera - R&R, please.


	8. Chapter 7  No More

Hazeru - Here's another chapter! I finally wrote it!

Hera - Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 7

No More

The brunette lay on the bed, writhing around in pain, soft moans escaping him as the contractions in his body began to come thick and fast.

"Try to relax, Jay" Alexis whispered, her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh God … oh God …" he moaned.

"Keep breathing" the blonde girl instructed.

Alexis started breathing in a strange way: the way she had read was beneficial for women in labour to breathe. Okay, Jaden wasn't a woman - but his pregnancy was close to it, and so far so was the birth, and so maybe trying out a few breathing methods would help. Jaden looked at her strangely for a moment before he began to copy her, both of them breathing in quick gasps - Jaden kept it up long after Alexis had stopped, having got the hang of it.

"Jaden, you've still got a little bit to go, and you have to move again" Miss Fontaine said, checking the brunette once again.

"I can't … I can't move …" Jaden moaned, rocking back and forth with the pain.

"Aster" Miss Fontaine said, looking at the boy leaning against the wall.

Aster nodded to the nurse and walked over to his moaning friend, pulling Jaden's arm over his shoulders and pretty much lifted the brunette off the bed and onto his feet. He began to walk around the room at a slow pace, Jaden clinging onto him and moaning in pain.

"Ah … ah … _ah_!"

"You're doing great" Aster said softly, hoping to calm his friend down a little.

"It hurts … I can't do this … ah … oh God, it … _ah_!"

Jaden then let out a loud scream of agony and Aster lifted the labouring brunette at the waist and moved him quickly to the bed.

Miss Fontaine pulled the hospital gown up and looked again, much to Jaden's embarrassment. She then took a deep breath and looked at the brunette, who had a tight grip on Alexis' hand and had stopped moaning so loud, his lips clamped shut to stop himself from crying out in pain.

"Jaden, I need you to pay attention to me now" Miss Fontaine said, continuing only when Jaden met her eyes. "You're almost done, Jaden. I need you to start pushing now. So when I tell you to push, you do it, and then stop when I say."

Jaden groaned loudly and began rocking back and forth again, praying for an end to the intense pain. He did as Miss Fontaine told him and got into position, waiting for her command, but his heart wasn't in it. The pain, the heartbreak, it was all too much. He just wanted to die.

"They're right behind me, so watch your backs" Jesse called as he sped past Zane and Chazz.

The two members of the SODMP watched their fellow team-mate speed off into the distance, in the direction of Duel Academy, while they faced the opposite direction. Chazz then stopped the speedboat at Zane's order to do so, and they both stood up - on opposite ends of the small boat so the weight was fairly balanced. Here, they would wait for the Lords to arrive, and judging by what Jesse had said, they wouldn't have long to wait.

In the distance, they saw another speedboat approaching them, and they could make out three figures on that boat. The two activated their duel disks and prepared to draw their cards. Zane then growled softly.

"What? What is it?" Chazz hissed.

"Look. There's more than one boat" Zane whispered. "Three that I can make out."

"We can't hold them all off."

"We'll have to navigate and duel at the same time" Zane insisted. "We can't give in to them now. Jaden needs more time to deliver the baby and we're going to hold them off until it's here."

"How long will that be, Zane?" Chazz hissed.

"As long as it takes, now wise up, Princeton."

As the Lords got closer, the two prepared to fight. They may not be the best of friends, but they could work together in a duel. That was the mark of a decent duellist.

Miss Fontaine grabbed her lucky card, held it for a brief second, and then placed it back in her rarely used deck. She walked back over to the brunette on the bed, whose face was bright scarlet - a mixture of pain and embarrassment.

Jaden was lying on his back, his head propped up with a pillow. His hospital gown was hitched up to his hips, and he felt horribly exposed, especially with Miss Fontaine standing at the foot of the bed. Aster he didn't mind, he was another guy, after all. Alexis was okay, too - from her position knelt beside him, she wasn't able to see anything other than his legs. His legs were bent and spread wide apart for ease of the birth, and they were hurting like hell.

"Okay, Jaden, take a big deep breath and then push hard" Miss Fontaine said.

Jaden took a deep breath several times and then pushed as hard as he could. He found that it hurt even worse when he pushed, and he instantly stopped.

"Keep pushing, Jaden" Miss Fontaine cried.

"No … it hurts too bad … oh God …" the brunette moaned, the tears building up in his eyes. "It hurts too much."

"I know, Jaden, but it'll hurt much worse in the long run if you don't!"

The brunette let out a wail of despair and the colour drained from his face. Instantly, Aster was holding a basin under his chin, and Jaden barely glanced at it before vomiting violently. He almost choked but managed to survive - he would've laughed at the idea had there been less pain - and then gave another push, turning Alexis' knuckles white as he did.

He had met them more than halfway across. He could see the island, but it was too far away. Dammit, why wasn't this damn boat faster? He was never going to get there in time! Jaden was losing his will to live, and it was all his fault. He had to get there before his lover gave up!

Sudden idea! Jesse summoned Sapphire Pegasus and told him to fly ahead to the school and tell Jaden that he was coming for him. The winged horse sighed deeply and said that Jaden wouldn't believe him, and Jesse growled at his friend as he realised he was right. Jaden would think it was all a lie to get him to hang on for longer. But that's what Jesse needed! He needed Jaden to just hang on.

After intense minutes of emotional pain that seemed to stretch on for hours, Jesse finally arrived at the island. He took off running in the direction of the school, hoping that Jaden would be in the infirmary.

He hoped he wasn't too late, but his legs wouldn't move any faster, no matter how much he wanted them to.

Jaden screamed as he pushed again. He had Aster's hand in his left hand, Alexis' hand in his right, and Miss Fontaine stood at the foot of the bed, examining him in places he never wanted any teacher to see - particularly a female.

"Ah … ah … _ah _… oh God …"

"We're almost done, Jaden, you're nearly there" Aster whispered.

"Oh no" Miss Fontaine whispered.

Three heads snapped up to look at her, the teenagers' eyes wide.

"The baby's not moving when he pushes any more" the nurse said. "Jaden, this is a very special child, conceived in a male's body. If I'm not mistaken, I think it needs some heart put into this delivery. Put your heart into it."

Jaden moaned and tried to want to deliver the baby. He didn't want that to happen, though. Sure, he wanted rid of the pain, but the baby inside him gave him a reason to live and if she was out of him, he knew he'd fade. He was fading now.

The brunette pushed harder than before, screaming as he did.

Then he realised that there was no point. His heart wasn't in it, no matter how much he might love his child. He couldn't do this.

Jaden collapsed against the pillows, letting go of his friends.

"I can't … it's over" he whispered. "No more."

"Jaden, come on, snap out of it" Aster hissed.

"Push, Jaden!" Miss Fontaine urged.

Jaden tried, he tried as hard as he could, but it had very little effect.

"One more, Jaden!" Alexis insisted.

He complied, but again, nothing much happened. With a sharp gasp, he let his body go limp and his head rolled towards the blonde.

"Alexis, I can't do it!" he moaned.

"Of course you can do it, Jaden" Alexis said softly.

Jaden wanted to reply but was interrupted.

"You can do anything, Jaden" the voice said from the doorway.

Four sets of eyes turned towards the doorway as the figure came into the room. But only one person out of those four spoke.

Jaden's eyes glistened with tears as he willed his lips to move.

"Jesse …"

Hazeru - 0.0 It's Jesse!

Hera - He made it back!

Hazeru - But Jaden's just about given up entirely, and the baby hasn't been born yet!

Hera - At least Jesse got there.

Hazeru - Maybe he can help Jaden.

Hera - We'll see next chapter. R&R please


	9. Chapter 8  Arrival Into The World

Hazeru - Haven't updated this one for a while, so here you go!

Hera - Does the baby actually get here at last?

Hazeru - Hence the title :) I thought it was time.

Hera - Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 8

Arrival Into The World

"I'm here, Jaden, I'm right here" the bluenette whispered.

He sat on the bed next to his lover and lifting the brunette to a sitting position, letting Jaden lean back against him. He ran his hands soothingly up and down the brunette's arms, effectively taking charge of the situation. Aster gladly backed off to stand against the far wall, Alexis reluctantly following him. Miss Fontaine maintained her position and begged Jaden to push again, but got no response.

"Jaden, you can do this" Jesse whispered in the brunette's ear. "A few more pushes, Jaden, and it's all over. Come on, sweetheart. You can do this."

"I can't … it hurts, Jess … it hurts so much …"

"Shh, I know, Jay" Jesse whispered. "But you can do it."

"I _can't _…" Jaden moaned loudly, as the pain enveloped him. "_Ah _… Jesse, it's coming …"

"Push!" Jesse instructed.

Jaden pushed harder than before, Miss Fontaine giving a slight cry as she witnessed the baby's movement from her position. With Jesse there with him, holding him tightly in his arms, Jaden felt love take over him again - it was all love, no loss, just love - and he suddenly had the heart to keep going.

Jaden pushed in time with Miss Fontaine's words, screaming and moaning in pain all the while, Jesse encouraging him every step of the way.

"Come on, Jay, you're doing great. You're almost there!" his lover encouraged.

"Jesse … ah … ah … I feel the head!"

"I _see _it!" the nurse agreed, and she put her hands on each of the brunette's knees to force him to keep his legs open.

"Ah … oh God … oh God … _ah_!"

"Jaden, one more push should do it!" the nurse said.

Jaden gave one last push, using every ounce of strength he still had. He was fully aware of the enormous pain as the child came out enough for the nurse to hold onto it and pull. Jaden gave a high pitched scream as he felt the weight leave his body. He then collapsed against his lover's chest, gasping at the feeling of intense pain.

There was a second of utter silence.

Then there was a high pitched wail.

The baby was born and Jesse was here. Alexis and Aster slipped into the hallway as soon as Miss Fontaine brought the infant into her arms and held it.

Jaden weakly opened his eyes and stared at the squirming infant in the nurse's arms, and he turned his head towards his boyfriend.

"She's here, Jesse" the brunette whispered. "She's really here."

"And she's perfectly healthy!" Miss Fontaine beamed, busy wrapping the baby in a sheet that would have to act as a blanket temporarily.

"She?" Jesse said softly.

"Congratulations, boys" Miss Fontaine said in a sweet voice. "You have a beautiful, healthy baby girl."

"I was right" Jaden whispered, glowing. "I was right all along. It _is _a girl!"

"I never doubted you" Jesse whispered teasingly, kissing his boyfriend's cheek. He then laid Jaden carefully down on the pillows and stood up. "How's she doing?"

"She's perfectly well, and sound asleep" the nurse said.

Miss Fontaine placed the newborn in the bluenette's arms and then smiled at them. She muttered something about coming back soon to check on the brunette and then left, leaving the two boys alone with their newborn daughter.

Jesse looked down at his daughter's face for the first time, and he almost choked on air. She was beautiful. Beautiful didn't even cover it - she was absolutely stunning. The tiny baby girl had a perfect, heart shaped face. She didn't have the squished features that many newborns were born with, she was perfectly formed. Her blue eyes were sure to turn green, that was obvious, and it looked like she was going to have Jaden's two toned brunette hair, although it was going to be thicker, like her father's.

Jesse managed to look away from his baby long enough to look at his lover. Jaden lay against the pillows, exhausted but smiling up at his family. He had a beautiful glow about him, like an angel might have. The bluenette sat down next to Jaden and held the baby so that Jaden could look at his daughter's features.

Jaden spent a whole minute in silence, committing his daughter's face as a newborn to his memories, before he allowed himself to speak.

"She's so beautiful" he whispered, his voice quiet but happy. He looked up at his lover and smiled. "I'm really glad you made it back, Jess."

"Zane told me they'd induced labour. I wasn't going to let you deliver our baby all on your own" Jesse whispered.

"You came in to see her be born, that's what matters."

The two stared into each other's eyes, making a silent agreement to leave arguments and questions for later.

"Jess, can I see her now?"

Jesse grinned, kissed his daughter's forehead and passed her over to Jaden.

Jaden balanced his daughter on his chest, holding her lovingly and staring down at her.

"Hi, there" he whispered to her. "You can finally meet us."

The baby chose that moment to wake up - but what astounded the new parents was that she opened her eyes and didn't even cry.

"Hey, baby girl" Jaden said in a soft voice. "I'm your mommy."

The child made a soft noise, almost like she was acknowledging him.

"And look, baby, there's your daddy" Jaden whispered, holding her so that she could see Jesse as well. "I just had you right now. You're so beautiful, yes you are."

Jesse grinned at his lover.

Jaden grinned back at him and smiled lovingly at his daughter. She was worth all the pain and more. Jaden knew at that moment that he would willingly walk through fire for her.

"Hey, Jaden, we still have to name her" Jesse whispered.

"Still want the old name?"

"Yeah. Your grandmother's name and my mother's name, first and second, right?"

"Sure" Jaden smiled.

The brunette sighed in content as he looked at his newborn's face.

"Welcome to the world, Kasumi Alexandra Andersen."

Hazeru - I've always liked that name.

Hera - They named her for each of their relatives, we'll leave it to you to decide after who exactly.

Hazeru - But Zane and Chazz are still fighting ...

Hera - R&R please


	10. Chapter 9  The Society

Hazeru - Here we go, another chapter!

Hera - Let's see how they're doing!

Hazeru - Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 9

The Society Of Duel Monsters Protection

Their newborn daughter asleep in her mother's arms, the two lovers looked at each other. Jaden couldn't stop the sadness reaching his eyes, and that mere image nearly broke the bluenette's heart. He knew he'd caused the heartache Jaden had felt, and he understood now that he had been wrong to ever keep the truth from his lover.

Zane wasn't going to be happy with him. Yugi would be even less happy.

But not telling Jaden had almost been the end of him. Never again.

"Jaden, I think I owe you an explanation."

"You do" the brunette said in an annoyed voice.

Jaden wasn't sure if he was happy, or angry, or upset. He was feeling so many emotions running through him that he didn't know what to feel towards the bluenette, but he decided to listen to him.

"Jaden, you'll never have heard of it, but there's an organisation called the SODMP. The Society Of Duel Monsters Protection." The bluenette paused to let this sink in before he continued. "Yugi Mutou is in charge of it, and there are a couple of branches in different schools. There's one here, and I'm a part of it."

Jaden nodded to show he understood so far.

"Zane leads it, and then there's me. Kind of like I'm second in charge, I guess. But anyway. Sometimes being in the SODMP can lead to danger. We have a rival, a group that doesn't want peace achieved between Duel Monsters, because then they'd have nothing to do. They work with rogue monsters" Jesse continued, his lover nodding again. "They're called the Lords. Anyway, like I told you before, my deck has a lot of power in it, and apparently also has the ability to unite Duel Monsters."

"Why the Crystal Beasts?" the brunette asked, puzzled.

"No idea. All I know is what Yugi told us" the bluenette shrugged. "Anyway, the Lords want my deck and Yugi told me they were tracking me down. They'd do anything to get the power my deck has, and that includes kidnapping those close to me. My being here put you in danger, Jaden. It still does."

"Huh?""The Lords are following me here. Zane and Chazz went to hold them off, but I don't know how long they can do that for." He paused. "You do realise, Jaden, that you can't tell anyone about the SODMP? We're a secret organisation and nobody outside of that organisation is supposed to know about it."

"Then why are you telling me?"

"Because I put you through a lot of pain when I left, and it would have been easier for you if I'd just told you why I was really leaving" Jesse whispered. "I will never lie to you again, Jaden. I promise. Nobody can know about the SODMP, but I feel like you have to. It's the best explanation I can give. I wanted to protect you."

Jaden let a smile spread across his features as the truth dawned on him.

"So you left because …"

"Because it was dangerous for me to stay. I wouldn't put you in danger, Jaden. Especially not when you were pregnant" the bluenette said softly. His eyes fell on the baby in Jaden's arms. "Our little girl is in danger because I'm here, Jay. I shouldn't have come back. But I couldn't let you do it on your own. I'm sorry I came back here."

"Jesse, don't say that!" the brunette whispered. "I don't think I would have had the strength to keep going if you hadn't come in when you did. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Jaden, please. I've made a mess of things, but now it's time to set things straight."

"Don't you dare leave me again, Jesse Andersen!"

The brunette couldn't bear the thought of Jesse leaving him again! He had been angry with the bluenette, but to hear that Jesse had left truly because he was in danger. Jaden couldn't begrudge his lover for not wanting to put their baby in danger.

"I'm not going to leave you, Jaden. Not ever again. But I do have to call Zane. He and Chazz might be in trouble."

Silence fell between them but was shortly interrupted by the sound of their daughter crying, and both boys looked down at the baby.

"Shh, baby, we're here" the brunette whispered, cuddling her close. "What's wrong, Kasumi? Huh? What's up with my baby?"

"She's probably hungry, Jaden."

"Oh."

A sudden thought dawned on them: they had to get milk to feed her with, because Jaden certainly didn't have the parts to feed a baby, even if he could conceive one!

Jesse got up and Jaden looked at him.

"I'll call Zane straight after I've got the nurse to put some milk on for the baby" the bluenette said with a smile. "Family comes first, right, Jay?"

Jaden grinned and nodded, all the while trying to calm the crying baby.

"Hey, sweetie, calm down. Daddy's gonna get you something nice to eat" Jaden said in a sweet voice, stroking her cheek. "And you're going to be a good girl for us. Your daddy isn't going to leave again."

"He sure isn't" Jesse smiled, kissing both Jaden and Kasumi before he left the room in search of the nurse.

Hazeru - Jesse's promised not to leave!

Hera - But I don't think Jaden has forgiven him completely.

Hazeru - He hasn't, not yet. Find out more next chapter!

Hera - Next chapter, we'll hear a bit about Zane and Chazz! R&R please!


	11. Chapter 10  Problems Not Over

Hazeru - Finally, we're going to hear from Zane and Chazz!

Hera - Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 10

Problems Not Over

Jaden cuddled the newborn baby into his chest, stroking her feathery wisps of hair. He was just waiting for Jesse or the nurse to come back into the room. Kasumi was calm for now, but she'd soon start crying for food again.

The brunette was happy just cuddling the baby for a while. He didn't really know what to do. Jesse was back, and that made Jaden happy, but the brunette hadn't completely forgiven the bluenette.

Jesse had left him when he really needed him. He had done it for a good reason, though. Jaden couldn't hold it against his lover that Jesse had wanted to protect him and their daughter, but couldn't he have told him why before he left?

Never mind. He would talk it over with the bluenette in more detail once they were back at the Obelisk dorm.

The door opened and Miss Fontaine come in, carrying a bottle of warm milk formula in one hand. She sat down on the bed next to the brunette, gently so as not to disturb the peaceful baby girl he held.

"Jaden, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm okay" the brunette shrugged.

How _did _he feel?

Well, his body hurt all over from bringing Kasumi into the world. He was tired and very confused. And because of the recent heartbreak and the hormonal trouble of birth, he was emotionally troubled. There were so many different emotions running through him that he didn't know how to act.

"I don't think you should have any physical trouble, Jaden, but it's my opinion that you remain here for a few days."

"Sure" the brunette shrugged again, not wanting to argue with anybody.

"Here, Jaden, you can give the baby her first feed" Miss Fontaine smiled, handing the bottle to the brunette. He hesitated. "Jaden, do you know how to feed a baby?"

"Eh … no?"

"Here."

Miss Fontaine showed the brunette how to hold the baby properly so that she could drink at her own pace. Once he had the hang of it, Jaden found it remarkably easy.

He only wished that talking about everything with Jesse was going to be as easy.

Meanwhile, Jesse wasn't having as easy a time as Jaden.

"Zane! Zane, I'm losing you!" Jesse shouted into the phone. "_Zane_!"

The signal was either being lost or Zane was getting further away from the phone. Or maybe it was damaged from a fight. Unfortunately, Jesse was betting on the last one.

"Jesse, we're … not much more … too many of them …"

"Damn it!" Jesse growled, hitting the end call button.

He turned around to see Aster and Alexis behind him.

"Guys, they're in trouble. I've lost all contact!" Jesse said to them.

"You're second in command, Jesse" Alexis said quietly. "You have to decide what we do now."

Jesse closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"I'm going to go help them" Jesse said evenly. "I can't just let them get beaten out there. It's my fault they're out there in the first place."

"How is that?"

"I should have dealt with this myself, without them needing to be there" Jesse said, and then he added another bit in a whisper they couldn't hear. "And I should never have left Jaden to go through all he did on his own."

"Jesse, we can't let you go alone" Aster argued. "It goes against everything the SODMP stands for!"

"You two have to stay here."

"We're coming with you" Alexis said simply, and she climbed onto a small speedboat, and started its engine. "Well, are you two coming or what?"

With that, the blonde sped off into the distance.

Aster and Jesse looked at each other.

"Well, don't think I'm being left behind" Aster shrugged, jumping onto another boat and speeding off after Alexis.

Jesse slapped himself in the face. Damn it!

But there was no way he was letting everyone else fight for him while he did nothing. The bluenette jumped onto another boat and followed after the two of them, quickly catching up so that the three could travel together towards Zane and Chazz.

Jesse pulled out his phone and made a call to the infirmary.

"Miss Fontaine, tell Jaden I have to take care of some business, and that I'll be back as soon as I can. Tell him I love him" the bluenette said, and he hung up before the nurse could reply.

Jesse would just have to hope that Jaden trusted him enough not to think he was leaving him again.

And hope that they got to Zane and Chazz before the Lords could overpower them, because Jesse wasn't about to let them get to the island.

The Lords would be mad now. They'd be ruthless and take whatever they could to make Jesse trade his deck to them. Jaden and Kasumi included.

No way was he putting them in any more danger.

Hazeru - Jesse's off again. Will Zane and Chazz be okay now that the rest of the SODMP are coming?

Hera - Find out next chapter. R&R please!


	12. Chapter 11  Overwhelmed

Hazeru - Here's another chapter. We're going to see Chazz and Zane this chapter.

Hera - Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 11

Overwhelmed

Seven boats. Each carrying three people. Twenty one members of the Lords, facing the two weary members of the SODMP that they were facing.

Zane and Chazz looked like they were going to collapse any minute, both slightly cut from having things thrown at them, lacking energy from their duelling, and also soaking wet from all the sea water that had splashed onto them. But they were both standing, neither one willing to give up.

"I draw" Chazz growled, drawing one more card, placing the monster he drew, Ojama Black, face up on the field.

Was that a good move? Chazz was too tired to think straight. He just hoped that he could keep going. He hadn't felt this tired in a long time, if ever.

Zane wasn't faring much better. He was standing a little straighter and he managed to think about his duelling more, but he knew that soon he wasn't going to be able to keep going.

Suddenly, to make it all complete, the two felt their feet getting wet, and both glanced down to see that there was a small hole in the boat, letting it slowly fill with water.

Damn it, could this get any worse?

Just as the a strong monster that neither of them recognised was about to attack Zane's Cyber Twin Dragon, there was a call from behind them, a voice that they both recognised.

They turned around to see a blonde girl pulling her speedboat up beside theirs, immediately drawing a card and beginning to duel. The two boys grinned at Alexis and began to duel again.

It was perhaps only thirty seconds later when another monster appeared, fighting on their side, and that monster was a Destiny Hero. Soon, Aster pulled in the other side of the boys' boat, already duelling.

Suddenly one of the Lords pulled out a great monster, one they didn't recognise, that held over three thousand attack points, and nobody had a monster that strong out yet! They each prepared to use their monster effects or trap cards, but they didn't have to, because there was suddenly a familiar dragon taking the monster out.

How Jesse had instantly summoned Rainbow Dragon was a mystery, but they'd find out later. Now, the bluenette pulled up beside Alexis, and continued the duel.

All five members of the SODMP were here.

As Jaden had always said, it was time to get their game on.

Meanwhile, Jaden was occupied with settling the baby off to sleep.

Kasumi had been fed and dressed in a white sleeping suit, and was now quite peaceful, held lovingly in her mother's arms.

Jaden rocked the baby slowly in the cradle of his arms, holding her close to his chest and every so often laying a kiss on her forehead. She was so beautiful, he didn't know which of her features he should admire first.

Her little hand came up and Jaden held him in one arm so that he could take her tiny hand. Her delicate fingers closed around his forefinger, and the brunette's eyes softened as he looked down at his baby daughter.

He could hold the baby close now because he was already much slimmer, not back to normal yet, but his stomach was no longer swollen.

He softly hummed a lullaby that he vaguely remembered his mother singing to him when he was a young child. He didn't know the words so he wouldn't attempt to sing, but he knew the tune and could hum it softly, soothing the baby.

There was a dull ache all over the lower half of his body, and he could tell that he was going to be sore for a while. Still, it was all worth it. To be able to hold the tiny miracle in his arms.

He felt guilty that he had been going to give up. Would she have died or would the nurse have saved her? He didn't know, nor did he want to know. That way, he could pretend that he had been going to give up only on himself.

There was no way he was ever going to give up on Kasumi Andersen.

That was a good point, actually. He had carried her. He had felt her movements inside him. He had given birth to her. Why the hell was she called Andersen and not Yuki?

Jaden sighed softly. He wanted her to have Jesse's name. It was just going to take some time for him to completely forgive Jesse for leaving him, although he mostly had now.

Speaking of Jesse, where was the bluenette? He had been going to see the nurse and then phone Zane. He wasn't still talking to him, was he?

As if in answer, the door to the infirmary opened, and in stepped Miss Fontaine, looking pale and worried.

"Jaden" she said urgently. "Jesse just called me. He said that he had to take care of some business and that he'll be back as soon as he can."

The brunette felt his heart almost stop.

Jesse was gone again? Gone where?

The SODMP. That seemed to come before Jaden and Kasumi.

No, the brunette knew that wasn't true, or fair. Jesse was trying to protect them both. He just didn't want to put them in danger, which nobody could begrudge him.

"He said to tell you that he loves you" the nurse said, before muttering something about checking on him soon and exiting the room hurriedly, not wanting to pressure the brunette into reacting well to the news.

Jaden lay motionless for a few moments, the baby beginning to cry as she felt him tense. Jaden shushed her and kissed her cheek, rocking her softly.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here" he whispered in a gentle voice. "Shh, Kasumi. I've got you, back to sleep."

The baby soon calmed down listening to her mother's gentle voice.

Jaden held the sleeping infant in his arms, looking sadly at her peaceful face.

Jesse was going to protect her, and to protect him. Jaden knew that Jesse was very protective of him, but that didn't matter. Ever since Jaden had become pregnant with their daughter, Jesse had pampered him and treated him like an invalid. It had meant doing no work, so Jaden hadn't argued.

But now karma was catching up to the brunette.

And Jaden had to show Jesse that he could take care of himself.

He had become emotional - hormonal, even - during the pregnancy. He had let Jesse see his softer side, the one he didn't show anyone.

He had cried a lot for no reason. Not due to mood swings, either. He sometimes just had to cry a little. He thought of it as a female trait, but it was often said that crying was something strong people did - to vent off rage instead of lashing out. It didn't have to be a sign of weakness.

And Jaden Yuki wasn't weak.

The brunette stood up and put Kasumi back on the bed. There was a pain going through him, but he decided that it was nothing he couldn't handle, and stretched a little, preparing himself.

He had been under physical and emotional stress for many months. He had suffered heartbreak when his lover had left. And he had just given birth to his baby.

Jaden smiled softly. If he could give birth and then go out and fight not an hour later, then he could do anything.

He wrote a quick note and pinned it to the bed, knowing the nurse would be back very soon to check on them like she had already told him, that said to her to take care of the baby.

Jaden had to go help Jesse. It was because of him, after all, that the Lords were coming to the island.

If Jesse hadn't wanted to protect him, he wouldn't have left. If he had been stronger, the bluenette wouldn't have had to rush back to the island with the Lords following.

Jaden didn't even understand what was going on, but he knew he had to help.

He walked out of the room and began to run down the corridor and out of the school, feeling terrible for leaving his newborn behind in the infirmary and sick with worry for his lover, and also sore with the burning pain between his legs.

Jaden decided that he was going to be very careful when he and Jesse made love from now on. The pain was horrible. Childbirth was a bitch.

And yet despite the mixed emotions and the pain, the brunette kept running, going to find Jesse.

After all, Jesse was his heart.

Hazeru - Basically, I wanted to show in this chapter that Jaden can actually stand up for himself.

Hera - He's going to help Jesse, but how can he help?

Hazeru - Next chapter see how the SODMP are doing against the Lords.

Hera - R&R please


	13. Chapter 12  I Won't Let You Go

Hazeru - Here's another chapter.

Hera - Don't kill us, but we're putting off the battle until next chapter.

Hazeru - This one focuses on Jaden.

Hera - Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 12

I Won't Let You Go

Jaden didn't need confirmation. He just knew. He could tell from the lack of boats that the SODMP had left the island and were out on the sea. Fighting?

Of course, Jaden remembered what Jesse had told him. If they were fighting the Lords …

Jesse was in real danger. Jaden felt his heart constrict at the mere thought of his lover in pain. And his friends were out there, too - Alexis and Chazz, Aster and Zane …

Jaden couldn't just stand there and wait for them to come back.

He was standing where the boats were normally tied up at the docks. Normally a few speedboats were kept there, but now there was only one, and it wasn't a particularly fast one.

But it would have to do.

Jaden gulped slightly as he stepped forward onto the boat.

There was a pain burning between his legs, sharp and tearing through him. He bit his lip to stop himself wincing at the pain. Hadn't Miss Fontaine said that he may require stitches …

Well, he didn't want anyone to see that part of his body ever again. He didn't even want to think about the agonising pain his body had endured during the childbirth, pain that hadn't truly left him yet.

Once he made sure he was safely on the boat, Jaden reached over to untie it from the docks, but he hesitated. Did he really want to do this?

What if it was really dangerous to the point where he could get himself killed? Jesse was already out there. If he went out there, too, and got himself killed …

What if doing this left baby Kasumi with no parents?

If it came to that - if neither he nor Jesse made it back - Jaden knew that he would never forgive himself. In whatever passed for the afterlife, he would kill himself again. But he couldn't just let Jesse risk his life this way. It was his other friends, too. He couldn't just stand by and wait. It felt wrong. It _was _wrong.

Jaden untied the rope and then set the boat off, checking once more to make sure his deck was in his deck box. He had gotten changed into his usual Slifer Red uniform before he had left the infirmary, and slipped his deck out with him.

The brunette sped off - or rather, he went as fast as the boat would. It wasn't proving to be a very good speedboat, built for design rather than actual speed, but it was the only one there, and would just have to do.

As the boat moved in the direction he hoped they had gone in - he could hear noises and vague shouts, he was sure it was them - Jaden sighed deeply.

He was in pain, and a fair bit of it. He had no idea that childbirth could have ever hurt so much, and it didn't end the minute the baby was actually out of him. The pain in between his legs hurt like hell, and his stomach was a bit sore, too.

Not to mention that, emotionally, he felt terrible. He had left his newborn daughter in the infirmary and left. There was no heartache worse than knowing that you had abandoned your child. And so soon after she was born …

Jaden didn't even know his daughter yet. But she had grown inside him. He had carried her and felt her kicks and movements, the signs of life inside his own body. He had watched his stomach expand over the months in a way that was not natural for any male. He'd given birth to the baby. She was his. He hadn't known her properly for any more than an hour, and yet she was already his whole world.

That was why he had to do this.

Jaden knew - from personal experience - that he would be no fun without Jesse there.

Now he had the baby, he wouldn't be giving up on life - Kasumi needed him too much for that. But he wouldn't be good company for the baby. He had to get Jesse back, he just had to.

And he was going to. He wasn't letting Jesse go again.

Hazeru - Sorry for the short chapter.

Hera - Next time, Jaden meets up with the SODMP.

Hazeru - What will happen?

Hera - R&R to find out!


	14. Chapter 13  Another Member Of Sorts

Hazeru - Sorry for the late update. We see more of the SODMP in this one.

Hera - Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 13

Another Member Of Sorts

"There's too many" the girl cried, feeling the sting of her life points dropping vastly.

"Fall back" Zane shouted, all the duellists doing so.

The members of the SODMP turned their speedboats around and started heading back the way they had came - back to the school. They had no choice. They'd get killed if they stayed here any longer.

Of course they didn't retreat right back. They went a short distance and then stopped and stood up on their boats. Jesse, Alexis and Aster had their own boat, while Zane and Chazz shared one. One that was sinking, since there was a damage to it and water was seeping in.

"Quick, jump on!" Alexis shouted, steering his boat in front of theirs. Without a second thought Chazz leaped across the short distance and onto the girl's boat. It rocked about violently for a moment and the two feared it might capsize, but luckily it steadied and Alexis pulled it back into form. At the same time, Aster was using his boat to pick Zane up.

The three boats - five duellists in total, three weary and two exhausted - sat motionless and waited for the Lords to catch up to them. Their boats were slower but not by that much. Not by enough.

Indeed, it was mere moments later when they saw the first boats come into their line of vision. The five determined students activated their duel disks and got ready to draw their first cards. They might be tired and sore, but there was no way to back down now. If they did, the Lords got to the island.

The Lords wanted Jesse's cards, but by now, some of their members were in the water. They probably - little to no doubt about it - wanted revenge, too. Even if they defeated the SODMP here and now, they would take Jesse's cards and continue on to Duel Academy. They would know what to look for, what would cause most pain to the duellist that had gotten away from them - Jesse Andersen, of course - and the rest of the team. If they reached the school, they got to Jaden and Kasumi.

And this was the only thing that Jesse cared about.

The Lords approached, and one drew a card. Without thought, the five SODMP members simultaneously drew their own cards.

"Duel!"

Meanwhile, the one that the Lords would put in danger was putting his deck into his duel disk. Jaden could see them now. Well, he couldn't see the people, but he could see figures - one that he recognised so well, since he'd know the outline of Jesse's profile anywhere - and monsters in the air.

At least it wasn't a physical fight. It was a duel.

And that meant only one significant thing.

He could help them.

There was still pain, and Jaden just wanted to sleep. His stomach was burning and the pain in between his legs was just plain searing. How could anyone feel this pain and just get up and duel?

Jaden didn't know, but he did know this: he was going to do it.

Jaden pushed the speedboat forward, wishing its stupid engine would make it go faster than this too-slow-to-be-satisfactory pace.

As he got closed, he stopped the boat and drew a card. He was behind the SODMP, who were so focused on their battle that they had neglected to notice Jaden.

Well, he had ways of changing that.

Right at that moment, a monster - which Jaden didn't know, but it's attack points were set at one thousand five hundred, heading straight for Chazz. And Chazz had nothing to defend himself with. This was a direct attack.

Or it had been.

"I summon Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden shouted, and Neos appeared - as a spirit, of course.

This wasn't a proper duel ,and Jaden had guessed that the actual rules weren't applying. He had guessed correctly.

You didn't need to sacrifice monsters to summon out higher level monsters, you just had to have them in your hand. He couldn't help but wonder if spell and trap cards worked properly.

Well, he'd worry about that in a minute. For now …

"Go Neos! Take that thing down!" he shouted, and Neos headed straight for the monster that was ready to attack Chazz.

Chazz was waiting for the pain, but it never came. His life points took no damage.

Chazz realised why when he saw Neos floating above him.

"Neos?" he gasped, and the other members of the SODMP looked up in disbelief. The Lords paused, too, taking a minute to look at the boat that was behind the others - a newcomer. A brunette boy that, truthfully, didn't look well enough to be out here. His cheeks were flushed and he was obviously sweating after one draw and summon. He wasn't in good health.

For the Lords, that just meant he was an easier target. They recognised him, of course. Jaden Yuki. Jesse Andersen's little lovebird.

At least they got the satisfaction of destroying them together. Jaden was said to be a great duellist but he didn't look up to it.

The SODMP, on the other hand, were shocked. Chazz and Zane just looked at him in confusion. Aster and Alexis looked worried for him - surely he was still in pain, why was he here? And Jesse …

Jesse let out a cry of surprise when he saw his no-longer-pregnant lover standing there with his duel disk activated on his arm.

"Jaden, what are you doing here?" Jesse shouted over to him.

"I'm not letting you do this without me!" Jaden shouted back.

As the two stared at each other, the battle continued. But the other four members of the SODMP were careful not to let anything near Jesse. Since he was probably too stunned to do very much presently.

Jaden realised that they were standing two on a boat - and Jesse's had to be faster than his, his was barely going.

So he took his boat closer to his lover's and then jumped over to join Jesse.

Jaden got down on his knees as the boat swayed unsteadily. Damn it, he shouldn't have done that! The pain was worse now, causing him to wince and grit his teeth so he wouldn't cry out.

"Jaden, are you okay?"

Jesse was kneeling down beside him.

"I'm fine. It just hurts a bit" Jaden whispered, trying not to let his pain show through his voice.

"Jaden, you've got to get out of here!"

"No!" Jaden glared, not shifting his gaze away from Jesse's beautiful green eyes. "I'm not letting you go again, no way! I don't need you to protect me, Jesse! I can look out for myself!"

"For the love of …" Jesse growled, taking hold of the brunette's arm. "Jaden, you just had a baby! You can't risk it, go back to Kasumi!"

"She's with Miss Fontaine!" Jaden said. At least, that was his intended plan. "Jesse, listen, I'm here now. I can duel just fine, now come on."

Jesse hesitated but realised that he couldn't forcibly send Jaden away now. Not without literally carrying him back to the island, which would involve Jesse turning this damn speedboat around and going back to the school. There was no point.

"Okay. We'll do it together, Jay" the slightly taller of the two said.

Jaden just nodded, and the two stood up.

They positioned themselves so they could both duel, and each drew a card.

Jesse summoned a Crystal Beast, still unhappy that Jaden was in this danger, but somehow feeling better. With Jaden here, Jesse had more confidence.

Jaden just smiled and then turned to the Lords.

Yes, he was in pain. Yes, he wanted to lie down and sleep.

No, he wasn't going to.

He pointed at the opposing team.

"It's time to get your game on!"

Hazeru - Jaden's there now!

Hera - Is Kasumi okay? And will the SODMP + Jaden defeat the Lords?

Hazeru - Answered in a later chapter :)

Hera - R&R please


	15. Chapter 14  Mercy And Mistakes

Hazeru - Sorry this is so short.

Hera - Enjoy, anyways!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 14

Mercy And Mistakes

The nurse sat on the bed, rocking her arms gently to keep calm the sleeping child she held. This baby was newborn, but neither her mother nor her father was here.

Miss Fontaine was worried about Jaden. She had found a note from him, and she had picked up the baby to take care of the child, but she wished that she could help Jaden …

The brunette needed stitches, if nothing else. It was the most awkward place to stitch a person - she had little experience with it - but it needed doing. And she had to check his temperature and heart rate and others vitals. He may be in danger, and she could do nothing about it.

As Miss Fontaine rocked the defenceless child in her arms, she realised that she herself had never felt so helpless.

/

"Retreat" one man called, and his boat turned around and fled.

The Lords were slowly being defeated.

But only one boat had pulled out of the fight and left. The rest were standing strong and fighting still, and the members of the SODMP were tired and pained.

Though not as badly as Jaden was.

The pain between his legs was getting worse, his limbs felt heavy and he was so tired …

But he couldn't give in, not now.

"Go Flame Wingman!" Jaden shouted.

"Cyber End Dragon, attack!" Zane called.

The two monsters attacked the monsters of the Lords duellists, causing them to shatter - one man taking the effect of Flame Wingman with a cry of pain.

The blast caused by the attack from Zane's Cyber End had caused one of the boats to pretty much shatter, making the two occupants fly into the water. One landed right beside a boat that belonged to the Lords and he was quickly pulled out of the water.

The other Lords member flew towards the SODMP, and landed with a splash right beside Jaden and Jesse's boat.

Jaden let out a gasp on seeing the man's struggling. Maybe he couldn't swim!

They were the enemy, it was true, but … he couldn't just let him drown!

Jaden leant over and stretched his hand out to the man who seemed to be struggling to stay afloat.

"Give me your hand" Jaden shouted.

The man looked up and met Jaden's eye with his own. Jaden saw the fire burning in them too late.

Before the brunette could pull his arm back, the Lords' duellist had grabbed hold on Jaden roughly and yanked him forward - straight into the water.

Jesse gasped as he heard Jaden's cry, quickly followed by the splash as Jaden fell forward, tugged by the force of the duellist in the water.

And suddenly his brunette love was under the waves.

Hazeru - Jaden's in the water? Is he okay?

Hera - R&R please


	16. Chapter 15  All Thanks To You

Hazeru - Here's another chapter.

Hera - Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 15

All Thanks To You

"Jaden!" Jesse gasped.

He couldn't see his love any more, but he could see the man that had grabbed him and pulled him under the waves.

Jesse reached forward and - forgetting the duel - punched the man in the face. He was knocked unconscious - but somehow managed to stay floating. He unconsciousness made his way towards the Lords, where he was picked up and pulled onto a boat, safe.

"Jaden?" Jesse called into the water.

Why wasn't he resurfacing? Jaden could swim …

And then it hit him.

Jaden had been pulled forward into the water. From the angle he had been standing at, Jaden could easily have hit his head on the side of the boat …

If that had happened, he would have been knocked unconscious.

Oh no.

I'm not letting you go, Jesse thought.

He tugged his duel disk off his arm - his cards would be safe on the boat this way - and dived into the water.

He couldn't see under the water, but he could feel.

It was cold; bitterly cold. But there was something floating in the water - not at the surface, but something that hadn't actually sunk.

Not something. It was someone.

Jaden!

Jesse blindly grabbed the brunette's arm and pulled him upwards, out of the water.

Gasping as the air filled his lungs, Jesse looked down worriedly at Jaden.

The brunette was out cold - he had hit his head after all.

Jesse looked over at his friends - his team, the SODMP - and what he saw stunned him.

In the short moments he had been underwater, they had turned things around - big time!

The Lords were just about annihilated. They had only a few monsters out, and most of them were weak.

The four standing members of the SODMP had strong monsters on the field, and they all looked angry.

Evidently, they had all seen what had happened to Jaden, and were none too pleased about it.

And Jesse noticed …

The danger that Jaden had been put in had given them all the motivation they needed to duel with their hearts, and to defeat the Lords.

The Lords were either floating in the water or retreating rapidly.

Green eyes softened as he looked down at Jaden's closed eyes.

"They did it" he whispered. "All thanks to you, Jaden."

Of course, there was no reply, but Jesse just held the boy tighter in the freezing water, shivering himself at the cold.

If Jaden hadn't fallen into the water, then the others might never have had the true motivation to defeat the Lords so thoroughly.

Jesse watched in amazement as Zane, Alexis, Aster and Chazz used their most powerful monsters to destroy the last monsters that the Lords had on their field.

"They've done it …" Jesse whispered .

There was a vague stab of guilt in his heart that they had done it without him, but he knew that they wouldn't blame him. He had gone after Jaden, and that was all that mattered. They'd understand.

The Lords were all just about gone now. Chazz and Alexis pulled their boat over to Jesse and helped him and Jaden into it. Chazz asked Jesse if he was okay, and nodded at the affirmative. Alexis laid Jaden down on the floor and glared at Jesse.

"You let him be here in his condition!" she accused.

"He wouldn't go" Jesse muttered. "It was his choice."

Alexis looked like she might say something else, but Chazz glared at her icily to stop her - the two were soon too busy glaring at each other to take any notice of Jaden, Jesse or the duel.

Jesse glanced down at Jaden. The brunette was beginning to stir.

"Jay?" Jesse whispered in concern.

Brown eyes fluttered open, accompanied by a moan of pain.

It hurt. Everywhere it hurt. His mouth was dry and tasted vaguely of salt - from the ocean. His body hurt like hell, especially the spot between his legs. His chest burned and his head was killing him.

"Jess" he croaked, wincing at how much talking hurt his throat, and at the sound of his dry speech.

"Are you okay, Jaden?"

It pained his heart to hear Jesse's voice filled with such fear.

Jaden sat up, even though it hurt, and looked into the green eyes of his lover.

And behind him, something caught his attention.

A strong monster - the only one on the Lords field - was heading straight for Jesse.

_No_! He wasn't going to let Jesse get hurt. No way!

Without Jesse even realising what was happening, Jaden activated his duel disk.

Before anyone could ask questions, Jaden had drawn a card from his deck. His half-open eyes fell on the card.

Elemental Hero Neos.

_Just the card I need_, Jaden thought weakly.

"I summon out Elemental Hero Neos! Take that dragon down!" Jaden called weakly.

Jesse gasped as he witnessed this, and turned around to see the spirit of Neos taking down a dragon.

Had that dragon been heading for him?

It must have been. Jaden had stopped it.

Just like Jaden - to defeat the enemy.

The duel disk on Jaden's arm deactivated and the smile fell from his face.

And his eyes closed.

"Jaden?" Jesse whispered.

But Jaden had lost consciousness.

Hazeru - Looks like Jaden finished the battle after all. But is he okay?

Hera - R&R please.


	17. Chapter 16  Pain

Hazeru - Here's another chapter. This story is just about over.

Hera - Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 16

Pain

Guilt was worn like a tight cloak. He couldn't shake it off or even loosen it.

This was the guilt he felt for putting Jaden in the position he was now in.

Jaden was lying on the same infirmary bed that he had given birth on just hours ago. There was still blood coating the sheets, and fresh blood was still dotting the sheets.

From where he had given birth to the baby, Jaden was still bleeding. Miss Fontaine had given him stitches - as best she could, given the awkwardness of the angle from which she had had to work - but there was still some blood flowing, which wasn't helping Jaden very much.

The brunette's skin was pale and he looked unhappy even though he was unconscious.

Jesse felt horrible.

If he hadn't been out there, Jaden wouldn't have followed. It was his fault that Jaden was in this condition. Giving birth to Kasumi had taken so much out of him. Having surveyed the damage himself, he noticed that Jaden should not have been let out of the room without having medical attention. Jaden's body was a mess, bloodied and torn from the damage of giving birth to a baby from an opening that really wasn't designed for it. It was going to take a long time to heal properly, and would be painful.

On top of that, he had hit his head on the boat's edge and stressed his body out further.

"Oh, Jay" Jesse whispered, tears dripping from his eyes. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm sorry."

As if in response, Jaden moaned.

Jesse's head snapped up. Jaden was awake!

"Jaden!"

"Jess …" he whispered, his brown eyes opening - their colour had never been more beautiful.

Jaden whimpered slightly and looked up at Jesse.

Even Jaden was surprised at how much it hurt. He sat up slowly, but he made sure to lie on his side so he didn't cause his stitches any strain - he had heard Miss Fontaine and Jesse talking about it moments ago, before the nurse left the room and he'd at last opened his eyes.

"Jesse" he whispered. "Where's Kasumi?"

"Miss Fontaine's put her to bed in her office for the meantime" Jesse said hurriedly. "She's safe, Jay. What about you?"

Jaden bit his lip. He couldn't even try to pretend that it didn't hurt. It burned like hell. He shrugged in answer - the best answer he could come up with.

They looked at each other and eventually Jesse sighed.

"That's why I never told you about the SODMP before" he whispered. "It's dangerous. I never … I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Jesse" the brunette whispered, continuing only when Jesse met his gaze. "Don't hide these things from me. And … don't leave me again."

"Leave _you_, Jay?" he smiled, leaning over to lightly kiss Jaden's nose. "Never."

The two looked into each other's eyes and eventually Jaden smiled.

"I forgive you" he whispered, so quietly it was barely audible.

But Jesse heard. He kissed Jaden's forehead in thanks, before frowning at the brunette. He was shivering.

"You cold, Jay?"

"A bit" he muttered.

Jesse wasted no time in sitting on the bed and pulling his lover against his chest.

Jaden was still shivering slightly, but he leaned into Jesse. Jesse was so warm. The heat was soothing …

Unfortunately, the heat elsewhere in his body was not.

It burned. The pain, in between his legs, was searing, and Jaden winced at the feel of it. This was the aftermath of birth? He was never having another baby!

But he didn't regret the one he had.

Kasumi had taken a lot out of him, it was true, but he didn't regret it for one moment. To be able to look down at that sweet little face was enough to make this pain bearable.

Jaden had never been interested in women. And the only thing he had ever felt he was giving up by being with a man was children. Adoption was fine, but it wasn't the same as having your own, biological child. Kasumi was just that - his biological child, that he had managed to create with Jesse. She was symbol of the sheer power of their love. His powers - him being the Supreme King - combined with his love for Jesse, and the love that Jesse had for him. That was what gave their daughter life.

And he wasn't going to regret it for one moment.

Even though there was pain.

Hazeru - Poor Jaden. I really don't give him a break, do I? o.o'

Hera - R&R please.


	18. Chapter 17  We Are Together

Hazeru - Here's the last full chapter of this story. It's been fun :')

Hera - Enjoy! For once, she's actually -gasp- giving Jaden a break!

Hazeru - :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Chapter 17

We Are Together

"There will still be a lot of damage in your body, Jaden, and you'll have to rest for a further six weeks before you can attempt any strenuous activities, including duelling," Miss Fontaine said, ignoring the boy's pout, "but you can go back to your dorm."

The fatal words were music to the brunette's ears. Finally, after three solid weeks in the infirmary, he could at last go home to his dorm.

For the past three weeks, Jaden had done little much more than lying in bed and resting. His friends were constant visitors, but the time inevitably came when they had to leave and he was once again alone. He would have liked to have Jesse with him, but the bluenette had been otherwise occupied with their small daughter. The infirmary was often busy and crowded - thanks to Jaden's visitors - and was no place to keep a baby of such a tender age, and Jesse had taken Kasumi back to their dorm room, so she could get used to her surroundings and her home.

Jaden didn't feel right knowing that he was seeing very little of his daughter but he had acknowledged the truth in the matter: he wasn't well enough to care for a baby, even if she was his own child. Besides, she had her father to look after her. She would be well protected and cared for.

The only downside of the situation was that Jaden was then left alone and uncomfortable because of the pain he still felt, even though Miss Fontaine was giving him medication to help with it.

Still, it was nothing he couldn't handle, and he passed the time by looking at his deck and speaking with the monsters, or getting more in touch with the darker side of himself. He could never be too careful - living with a young child was bound to be difficult and he was going to, sooner or later, get angry. He had to make sure that his temper was controlled, make sure that he wasn't going to lose control. And practice made for perfect, he was sure.

But at last, he could leave the infirmary and go back to his normal life - or at least, into his life as it was now going to be.

"Thanks, Miss Fontaine" Jaden smiled, and he got up off the examination table he had been sitting on and walked out of the infirmary, a free man.

/

Simplicity. The normality of the everyday activities such as avoiding homework and chatting with friends and looking over his deck, all at his own pace … it was nice to have it all back. For the first time in weeks, Jaden was allowed to go out on his own and was even expected to attend classes when he felt well enough. He might have to admit to pretending to be in pain whenever Crowler's classes came.

Of course, not all aspects of his new life were as simple. After only one week in his new life, he was well aware of the new challenges presented to him.

Firstly, the baby woke him up several times in the night, wanting to be fed and changed, and after a week of very little sleep, Jaden was beginning to vaguely consider taking the batteries out of the baby-monitor. Well, he wasn't really - but the idea could be so tempting when he had to roll out of bed for the fifth time in a night to feed his daughter only to have her spit up all over his pyjamas straight after said feeding.

There was also, naturally, the annoyance of having to balance school and 'family life'. The teachers of Duel Academy had, of course, made special allowances for both him and Jesse, but that didn't mean that Syrus and Alexis didn't occasionally drop by to hand them in the essay plans, essays to be handed in two days later regarding some specific duel in history …

It was safe to say that the essays, if handed in at all, were late.

And Jaden also felt occasionally guilty that he didn't get to spend nearly as much time with his beloved friends as he used to. But it wasn't like they minded - they often stopped by after school, before school, sometimes during the classes they had skipped. Alexis and Blair had rather fallen in love with the baby, and Syrus and Hasselberry fought to be the baby's godfather - the fact that neither Jaden nor Jesse was religious and so there would be no formal baptism and thus no need for a technical named godfather seemed to have passed them by.

Yes, Jaden's new life was a little difficult, and there was always the added pressure of still feeling pain, but he knew that he'd recover. It would only be a matter of time …

And he had his lover and his daughter, and all his wonderful friends, and his cards. He didn't know if Jesse was going to continue to be a part of the SODMP, but he didn't really care. He knew that he would always know what was going on if the bluenette didn't want to give it up, he just hoped that Jesse knew he wasn't going to just stay at home and look after the kid forever. Jaden wasn't exactly suited - or really capable of - just sitting at home and childminding. He had places to be and things to do, and some were entirely unavoidable.

But they'd manage. How could they not?

After all, their love was strong enough that they couldn't fail.

Hazeru - This will most likely be the very last chapter of this story, but I do know that some questions have been left unanswered.

Hera - So, we may decide to add an epilogue to answer them.

Hazeru - Or we can leave it at this if that's better.

Hera - No flames. Please R&R.


	19. Epilogue  Something Like Perfection

Hazeru - Here's the epilogue. I'm sad this story's ending, but it's been fun :P

Hera - Hope you enjoy this last part.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Epilogue

Something Like Perfection

_Three Years Later …_

The house was just as untidy as he'd left it, and the unsurprising discovery brought a smile to his lips. He'd been gone for only three days and he knew all too well that Jesse would've probably cleaned up a little - he usually did - while he was gone, but evidently he'd either been too busy or their daughter had severely messed up his efforts with her usual clutter and rowdiness.

After glancing around, he noticed the obvious: it was too quiet. Anyone who lives with a fun-loving partner and a boisterous daughter would know that quiet wasn't always a good thing, but Jaden didn't hesitate to hunt around his home or two years for his small family.

As ever; located in the small girl's bedroom. Jesse was sitting on the lilac bedcovers with a book in his hands, reading aloud to the small child who was tucked into bed tightly. Natural, seeing as it was eight thirty and she was only three years old.

Grinning, Jaden knocked politely on the door that was already open.

Two pairs of matching, pale emerald eyes looked over at him, and two smiles broke out.

"Mommy!" the girl squealed, leaping straight out of bed and practically flying across the room, throwing herself at her 'mother'.

Jaden's arms closed around the soft weight of his daughter's small body as he lifted her easily off the ground into the safety of his embrace. He smiled gently to himself; his arms seemed to have been shaped to hold her. He had felt like that from the start - from the minute she'd been first placed into his arms, she seemed to fit there effortlessly. Now, three years later, his arms still seemed to have been moulded specially for her.

Still holding his daughter close to his chest, Jaden smiled at his lover as the bluenette pressed one gentle kiss to his cheek. Jesse may have not said a word verbally, but his eyes compensated for his silence and then some; his eyed danced with all the words he wouldn't yet say, not in their daughter's presence.

"How was your trip?" Jesse asked politely, making it seem all so natural …

Jaden had been away sorting out some problem that the Light Of Ruin had been threatening. It was really almost funny that the rest of the world had just been saved by him - yet again - and all the people in the world had no idea just how close they'd come. Jaden, the Supreme King as he was, was the only one equipped to stop it. It had taken a short time period compared to some of his other missions, but all the same he was glad to return home to normality.

But he said none of this. Instead he simply replied, "fine."

Jesse nodded in understanding; 'fine' meant that the problem - whatever it had been - was now sorted out. Of course, Jaden had not failed.

After his reply, Jaden asked how everything had been in his absence, to which his lover replied that everything was normal. Jaden nodded and then placed his daughter on the ground, smiling kindly at her.

"And what've you been up to while I was away?"

"Lots and lots!" Kasumi said, beaming a smiling up at her parents as they gently manoeuvred her towards her bed. "I eated a whole cake!"

Jaden frowned slightly at Jesse - that much sugar was never a good idea with their occasionally hyperactive daughter - but the other just winked to show that he'd explain later. Still unsure, Jaden decided to let it slide.

"Wow!" he grinned, letting enthusiasm fill his face - no matter how tedious the topic, it was always worth hearing the dull story just because it was Kasumi's tale. "And what else?"

"Daddy got me this" Kasumi replied, climbing up onto her bed - with a little awkwardness - and digging under the covers. Her small form all but disappeared underneath the blankets.

Jaden smiled at his lover and leaned his head on the other's shoulder when he felt the arm come around his waist in a comfortable, familiar gesture.

His daughter reappeared, a small plush toy clutched in both her hands - the perfect image of a Winged Kuriboh, with a soft brown body, big plastic eyes and white, felt wings.

Jaden couldn't help but smile; Winged Kuriboh had always been one of her favourite cards. She already insisted that she would one day have her own in her own personal deck, though Jaden doubted it. Kasumi was much more likely to take on a deck made of Fairy type monsters - those cards positively fascinated her.

Yes, Kasumi Alexandra Andersen had long ago been introduced to the wondrous world of Duel Monsters, and she was just as much an enthusiast as her parents.

She was surrounded by them. As far as Jaden and Jesse could tell, from what they'd seen and from what she'd told them, Kasumi was able to see the spirits. It wasn't altogether unsurprising, considering that both her parents could, of course.

Not to mention that both her father and her mother were excellent duellists - they both had made a career out of it. Both were on the pro-leagues and had won multiple duels, never losing their passion for the game nor forgetting about their beloved daughter, who almost often came along to the stadium to see their duels. Normally one or other of her parents - whichever wasn't duelling that night - took her. However, if that wasn't a possibility - and her mother did have a tendency to disappear quite randomly, on what he called 'his missions' - someone else generally would. Her Aunt Alexis often did, after studying in her final year of teacher training. Or her Uncle Syrus, sometimes with his brother.

Now, she handed the Winged Kuriboh novelty toy to her mother as her father laid her back down and tucked her back into bed, saying that she had better get to sleep quickly, it was well past her bedtime.

Kasumi automatically protested that she wasn't tired, even as her eyelids drooped.

Within mere minutes, the small girl was asleep in a mess of lilac blankets.

Jaden gently laid the plush toy down on the pillow next to his daughter's sweet head, where the brown of its 'fur' almost mixed with her own two-toned, silky hair - inherited straight from Jaden.

After they had both pressed a kiss to Kasumi's forehead, Jaden and Jesse took their leave and retired to the living room, where Jaden gave Jesse a more full - leaving out certain, completely confidential details - account of his travels.

It led to different topics of conversation - Alexis' oncoming graduation, Syrus' next duel, Hasselberry's newest girlfriend, Chazz's new hair colour which was accidentally dyed screaming pink - and finally, the two ran out of words and simply smiled at each other.

It didn't take long for the two to become locked at the lips, or for them to find their way to their bedroom. Then it didn't take long for them to express their physical love for each other.

And afterwards, basking in the afterglow, Jaden smiled into the crook of his Jesse's neck, and thought to himself that he was the luckiest man in the world.

He had a relationship with the best man he'd ever met and a beautiful child that was all their own. He had the responsibility of being the Supreme King, but that only led onto the satisfaction of being there to save the world. He had his cards, his constant friends, and he still had his friends from Duel Academy. Jesse still had his place in the SODMP, and sometimes Jaden would help out with this and that. He wasn't an official member, but he did what he could with and for them, and all his friends were happy to see him attending the meetings that he did.

Friends, family, love …

Truly, his life had to be something like perfection.

Hazeru - The End. Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed To Protect You.

Hera - For now, farewell. Until the next story. Please R&R


End file.
